Paradise -Mobius-
by Dakk Tribal
Summary: After defeating their ultimate foe, Wol and the Princess Sarah Cornelia wake up on a mysterious island and from there they try to find a way off it. Challenges come in all forms and sizes in their way but as they find ways to enjoy their time on the island they begin to enjoy each other in more ways as well / Wol x Sarah, lemon later
1. Chapter 1

The moment Wol had opened his eyes he knew something was different.

"Where am I now?"

The last thing the warrior had remembered was defeating Garland and touching the crystal, but now he saw a white wall in front of him. He sat up, and ignoring the screaming pain his muscles were in, and looked around.

He found himself in a mostly white room. The walls and ceiling were cream white while the floor was covered in a lush crimson red carpet. The size of the room itself was large with a few elegant glass windows along a single wall and a tall pair of glass doors that were open. Furniture wise the room only had a small circular table and two chairs in the center. That and a large white bed on the far side of the room.

Getting to his feet, Wol was somewhat cautious as he walked around the room. With each step he took he was greeted with more questions than answers.

The first was obvious. "Where am I now? This doesn't feel familiar..." With heavy feet he walked over to the glass doors. Turns out the doors led to a balcony and he stepped outside.

He was immediately hit with a sight that was nothing short of breath taking. For miles all he could see were white sand beach and clear blue water that was unmistakably the ocean. That and the scent of salt water as it flowed in the gentle breeze gave the fact that he was on an island away. The calming sounds of the waves could be heard as well as wildlife from within the forests beyond the beach. There was a single tall mountain deep in the forest, but like everything else Wol didn't find any of this recognizable.

"So...this place is definitely new to me..." He raised his right hand and pinched the bridge of his nose and closed his eyes tight. The sunshine and sand of the beach hurt his sleepy eyes and he had to let them adjust.

Yet, even as he tried to think of where he was, another issue plagued his mind and it was far more critical.

"Am I alone here?"

Going back to what he remembered before he had fallen asleep Wol remembered being flanked by Princess Sarah as well as his fairy friend Echo. If they were in a similar situation like him, then he knew what he had to do.

"I'd better go look for my friends...least before Echo tears the place apart looking for me. They couldn't have gone too far."

Before he could turn around he heard a small sound, like the coo of a dove. He turned around slowly and after his eyes adjusted to the light he saw what had made the sound.

Laying on the bed fast asleep was the one and only Princess Sarah Cornelia, resting without a care in the world under the thin white bedsheets.

Wol sighed in a bit of relief, 'Least she's here...where's everyone else?'

"Wol!"

And there a familiar voice rang in his ear from across the room. A familiar high pitched voice that left little doubt as to who it belonged to.

Sure enough, popping up from the other side of the bed and flying right up in his face was a little female fairy dressed in white, her little wings flapping so hard that dust was falling off them and her face was as red as the carpet.

Wol replied in his usual sarcasm, "Oh, hello Echo."

She shook with rage. "You big meanie! This is all your fault! Where have you brought us this time?!"

Sighing loudly, the warrior walked past Echo and went towards the bed. "No idea how this is my fault but whatever..." He placed a hand on Sarah's shoulder and somewhat gently shook her until she opened her eyes. "Sarah, wake up."

Upon opening her eyes Sarah sat up quickly, a slight amount of panic in her voice, "Wol? Where are we? What happened?"

She looked around at her surroundings and though she seemed to calm down somewhat, she was no doubt still apprehensive. "This place..."

"No idea where we ended up, but I will find out," said Wol as he tried to keep Sarah calm. Echo was already a lit fuse and he didn't need another woman losing her nerve on him. He had enough of that nonsense on a daily basis.

Sarah wasn't as worried as Wol believed, largely because he was the one who assured her. "I know that you will."

Echo was flying around, seemingly trying to get answers for herself, but unlike Wol she was immediately taken in by her surroundings especially after she looked outside the balcony doors. "By the crystal this place is...so pretty!"

Curious, Sarah moved out of the bed and got on her feet. Her royal garb was cleaner than before despite having been in battle fairly recently but she still felt sore with every movement her body made. She got to the doors and after looking outside she too was pleased at what she saw. Having rarely left her own kingdom until she had met Wol taking in new sights was a genuinely new experience for her. "A beach? Cannot say I have seen one like this before..."

For once Echo agreed. "If this is indeed Wol's fault, I think I can forgive him. Just a little, though."

Shaking his head Wol went to take a look around the room. Save for the bed and table there was a large dresser and closet as well as two other doors. He went and checked the first one and it led into what had to be the most impressive bathroom he had ever seen. Pristine white and made of glass or porcelain, a large bath tub and shower stall that could easily fit a few people and a mirror that literally took up an entire wall. Gaudy in some ways but he didn't mind. After closing the bathroom door he went towards the other door, and as he reached for the door handle a light series of knocks was heard coming from the other side.

Not even thinking Wol opened the door, and saw a single white furred moogle with a large silver cart in the hallway outside.

"Good morning, kupo! Room service is here!"

Having heard the knocking both Echo and Sarah hurried to see who was at the door, and they seemed surprised.

"A moogle? Thank the crystal!" Sarah was well known for her servants back home being moogles, she had grown up around them and she had quite a fondness for them. Seeing one in an unfamiliar place also put her mind somewhat at ease.

The moogle bowed his head once, "Thank you lady, kupo. My name is Mogger, and I welcome to Mog's Private Resort, kupo."

Wol heard the name and looked at his companions with a questioning glance.

He only had one question pop into his head, 'Where in the hell are we?'


	2. Chapter 2

Turns out the servant moogle wasn't the only one waiting on them when Wol and Sarah left their room.

The princess was immediately swarmed by the little furry creatures the moment she stepped into the lobby. It was like she was a magnet to them and Wol couldn't help but notice the irony.

'Even when we are far from Cornelia the moogles love her...' he thought, remembering how Sarah's only friends back in her kingdom were the moogles who waited on her hand and foot.

After eating as much as they could, and Wol kept as quiet about the resort as he could to not draw attention to himself, when they were offered the chance to go outside he jumped on it. Well, to be honest, Echo was the one who jumped on it. She seemed the most excited about the island of the three and she was not shy about showing it.

Stepping into the lobby the trio didn't have to look far in order to find the way to the beach, and right by the entrance was another small cluster of moogles, including one wearing a pink neck tie and holding a wand in its right hand

The moment the bigger moogle saw Wol was when he addressed them, "Hello there, kupo! Welcome to my resort. I'm Mr. Mog, but if you prefer you can just call me Mog, kupo."

'So he's the one in charge...' Wol took a few steps forward and Sarah was close behind him. Echo sat on his shoulder. "You're the owner of this place? Seems odd to have a place like this out in the middle of nowhere."

The moogle didn't seem fazed by Wol's sarcasm, "Not at all, kupo. It's located in a place that is hard to track, and since I created the magical field around the island pretty much nobody knows it is here. Private as private can get, though we do occasionally get the random customer such as you, kupo."

Sarah stepped forward, sounding apologetic, "We are sorry to inconvenience you with our arrival, Mog."

Shaking his head and waving the large purple pom-pom on it Mog replied, "No need to apologize Your Highness, we haven't really gotten started with the business this year so we're just getting started. In fact you three are the first people here for the season, kupo. Save for the moogles you are the only one's here, kupo." The moogle turned to his left where past a small wooden patio there began the stretch of beach that Wol had seen from his room, "The resort is yours to enjoy, kupo. But first-"

Wol saw Mog wave his wand in front of him and a trail of gold dust came out of the wand and touched Wol's chest before going over to Sarah and eventually finding Echo when she tried to avoid it but to no avail.

"What was that?" asked the warrior, thinking something would happen straight away but it didn't.

Mog chuckled, "The initial reactions are always a delight, kupo." He cleared his throat, "What I just did was put a spell on you three. It's called Mog's Blessing, kupo. I'd tell you more but I think you'll get a kick out of it when it activates. All you have to do is step onto the beach."

Wol looked out at the sand before turning to Sarah, hoping she'd give him a response. She didn't know what to do, and from there Wol made the only move he could.

"Well, what do I have to lose?" Without hesitation he walked towards the beach.

The moment he stepped off the patio and into the sunlight was when the spell activated. Nothing about him physically changed, but after getting over the initial sunlight Wol noticed that his clothes had changed. Instead of the Blank armor he normally wore he was now wearing red and silver swim shorts. His chest was bare save for a lifeguard whistle that dangled around his neck.

He didn't mind the change. 'Least this isn't as awkward as the diving suit...'

"Wol! You changed?"

Echo's shout reached the warrior's ears and he turned to find her right behind him. She was floating in the air, and the spell seemed to have changed her too.

"Not just me from the looks of it, Echo."

The fairy looked down and noticed her outfit had changed too. She now wore a cute blue one-piece bathing suit and she also had diving flippers on her feet. Her wings were still the same blue and white elegant shape and color they usually were.

Echo's response to her new change was, as usual, one of excitement. "Yay! Time for some fun in the sun!"

The warrior almost gave a half smile when he saw Sarah slowly approach them. After seeing what happened to her two friends she had been too nervous to move out onto the sand. Only after being urged by Mog did she find the courage to move her feet, though her eyes had been closed after she took the first step. The spell had still affected her regardless, but what she ended up wearing was nothing short of revealing.

Sarah's clothing changed from her regal princess garments to a tight two piece bikini that was colored white. A see-through orange mermaid skirt and a matching top hid the garments well enough but a majority of her skin was still exposed. Such an outfit a princess such as her should not be seen wearing but it was part of the deal with the resort.

At first glance Wol thought he had her seen a similar outfit before and it took him a minute to finally remember. 'She wore something similar when we visited the beach in the void. Guess the magic works in a similar fashion here.'

Sarah opened her eyes and looked down at her body. The initial shock she was bound to show gave way to relief when she recognized the outfit. "Good, I was hoping it'd be nothing else..."

She then turned her eyes towards Wol, and though she was trying to hide it, she couldn't help but feel shy in front of him wearing such clothing. "How do I look?"

The stoic warrior nodded once, hoping that alone would be reassuring enough. Still he tried not have his eyes linger on her for too long, "You look good." He wasn't a fan of when Sarah made him feel awkward. If he had a gil for every time they had an awkward moment he'd be a rich man, though it wasn't technically her fault. A prophecy was to blame for most of it.

Sarah took the nod and returned with one of her own, "Thank you, Wol."

Echo flew around the princess, visibly upset at how the woman was getting Wol's attention even if it wasn't for the reason she thought it was for, "Hey! How come you get to wear such an outfit and I get stuck with this thing?! Mog! You better explain yourself-huh? Where'd he go?"

Both Wol and Sarah turned and saw that, including his entourage, the big moogle was indeed gone.

Sarah spoke, "I guess he has some other business to attend to? He does have an island to run, after all."

Echo put her hands on her hips, "That little stink! When I see him again I'm going to give him a piece of my mind!"

The warrior had heard enough, and standing in the sun wasn't helping his patience. "Can we go now?"

Despite Echo and her anger Wol was able to get away from the women surrounding him. He didn't know how long he was walking but eventually he came to a stop at a small beach with a rather interesting attraction. A large wooden and iron boat or it could even have been an airship was stuck in the sand at an angle. The bow was sticking up in the air and far across the water, the tip of the bow over a deeper end of the water. A sign nearby got the warrior's attention and he read the inscription on it.

"Shipwreck Cove, final resting place of the airship Enterprise. This ship was the vessel in which the great Mog discovered this island. It was badly damaged during a severe tropical storm and crashed into the island afterward. Unable to be salvaged Mog insisted that the ship be left as a monument and thus has served as an attraction for the resort's customers ever since. WARNING: use extreme caution when diving off the bow."

Wol looked up at the bow and after paying close enough attention he realized it was a lot higher than he had initially realized. It had to be over sixty feet in the air and just looking of going up that high made him shiver slightly.

'I don't think I'll go up there anytime soon,' he thought. He started to move along the beach with his hands in his pockets.

"There you are!"

He sighed loudly as he heard Echo's squeaky voice. She flew at him in a rage and all the man could think was how he wished he was alone. 'Will I ever get some time alone?' "What is it, Echo?"

"You just walked off and left me and Sarah alone!"

"So what? It's not like we have anything to worry about while we are here," he replied.

Echo smacked the tip of his nose with her little hand. It didn't even faze him, but it wasn't meant to. "You dolt! You never leave maidens alone on a mysterious island! Especially scantily clad ones like me!"

Another set of footsteps signaled Sarah's arrival and Wol greeted her, "Hey."

Sarah's multi-colored skirt swayed in the wind revealing her rather shapely legs which Wol found quite nice for the split second he got of them. "You just left us back there. Is something wrong?"

"No," he replied quickly. Wol ignored the physical attraction he had with her as best he could. It was bad enough that a prophecy called for Sarah to marry the warrior of light when he saved her kingdom, and she believed she had to follow it to the letter in order to save the world (right down to conjuring up feelings of intimacy towards said warrior), it made their early interactions extremely uncomfortable. Then when all was revealed and the journey was seemingly over Sarah tried her best to follow her own path. Wol didn't have the luxury of such a choice, being the warrior of light and all.

"You worry me sometimes, Wol," the princess replied before walking past the brooding warrior.

'It's not easy being me, princess,' he thought before going off to follow her.

The ship was pretty much stuck in the sand but the bow was out over the water and like the sign had read seemed to be a popular diving spot or at least it liked like it could be with how high it was. Traversing the ship was simple and though the old wood creaked with each step they took it still had enough strength to hold the couple's weight. Still out of caution Wol kept himself within arm's reach of the princess as they climbed the ship lest she fall through the floor.

Reaching the bow had been easy, but Sarah was a bit reluctant to look over the edge of the tip of the bow. She leaned over the edge for less than a millisecond before cowering back.

"It's much higher than I had anticipated..." she said backing away from the edge.

Echo flew to the edge to see for herself, "Hm, she's right, we're about a hundred feet in the air! It'd be fun to try and leap of this thing." The little fairy pretended to be excited though because of her wings she wouldn't get the exhilarating feeling of the fall should she try. Though she knew who could. "Well, since this vacation of ours is just getting started, let's start it off with a splash. Wol, go for it!"

The warrior shook his head, "You're insane. What would the purpose be of me diving off the ship-"

"To have fun you blockhead! Why else would people want to dive off the ship?"

Sarah's timid voice spoke, "The adrenaline rush of such a dangerous stunt would be...exhilarating?"

Echo nodded frantically, "The heavier you are the faster you'd fall, too! My biggest wonder though is how big a splash would you make upon hitting the water?"

The fairy went out over the edge and flew in a circle a few times, her excitement growing with each lap she took. "Wol, let's do it!"

The warrior was still not budging, "Go by yourself, I don't want to."

Putting her hands on her hips the fairy huffed and puffed, "Party pooper! If you won't go and the princess is too scared to go herself then we won't be able to enjoy ourselves here! It'd be like vacationing with a couple of tonberries!"

Sighing loudly Wol didn't know what to do. He didn't like to be pushed into doing things if he didn't want to but he also had a tiny bit of eagerness to give the dive a try he didn't want to give into the fairy's wish. "Maybe later, then. There are still plenty of other things to do and we have a few days to get to them." He turned to Sarah. "Want to go somewhere else?"

The princess nodded once, already having her fill of being so high in the sky even on an airship that was grounded. "Yes...we can go to the rocks below and enjoy ourselves there."

Knowing she had lost the battle at hand, Echo turned the tables to make the situation more exciting. "Alright! Last one to the beach is a rotten chocobo egg!"

No shame the fairy flew over the tip of the bow and right down to the beach below, her victory assured before the race had even started.

That just left the warrior of light and the princess, who both exchanged awkward looks at each other. Sarah crossed her arms over her chest, still feeling a bit out of her comfort zone in the bikini, though it was not the first time she had worn such an outfit.

Maybe realizing how odd the air was feeling between them Wol started to head to the stairs, "We'd better get down there before she throws a fit."

Nodding once Sarah began to follow. She didn't get far before her foot broke through one of the wooden planks under her weight. While her foot hadn't gone all the way through her momentum carried her forward and she tripped. Luckily for her she collided with Wol, their chests colliding though only Sarah made an audible groan. The man's physical stature hardly made him budge from the impact with the princess, not only that but it saved them both from falling down the stairs.

"You alright?" asked the warrior, hoping and trying to make this quick to avoid any unnecessary drama.

Too bad it wasn't that simple.

Though her ankle was slightly scratched up the princess nodded and ignored the pain. However, what got the Sarah's attention was on the way Wol had his hands on her slender shoulders and the way he held her in place. It felt like he was protecting her from harm, and while it is what he had done multiple times before, this time felt oddly different.

Visibly flustered the princess took a step back, "I'm fine...thank you."

While the princess was red in the face and tried to hide it, Wol remained stoic and forward. He kept his emotions in check, no matter the situation.

The air was quiet, even the sound of the waves died out in the silence, and it was only broken by the shouting of Echo as she came up over the side of the ship, "Hey you two I am waiting-hey, what happened? Sarah why is your face all red?"

Sarah became even more flustered, even frantic, "N-Nothing!" She nudged past Wol and went down the stairs.

Wol shook his head, oblivious to Sarah's turmoil. 'Women...'


	3. Chapter 3: Devious Fairy

A quick snack and another hour of exploring brought little time to relax for Wol. He wasn't at all in the mood for having fun anymore today after the stunt Echo had pulled earlier. The little fairy's presence was easily missed by the princess but Wol didn't feel like talking about it.

'Hope she is thinking about what she had done,' the warrior thought as he came up upon a familiar sight. He had returned to the beached ship that had the excellent diving spot. Not that he could do it now as with the arrival of the moon up in the sky and the setting of the sun the water had receded a great deal, revealing shells and other creatures like crabs and lobsters that were now scurrying in the soft white sand.

"Wol," said Sarah as she approached him. She was barefoot, with her feet aching from all the walking she had done making her feet sore she had discarded her sandals back at the cafe. Not only were her shoes missing but the multicolored shear skirt she had worn earlier was also gone. "Is Echo still gone?"

A single nod from the warrior gave her the answer she needed.

Speaking in a low voice Sarah brought her hands to her chest, "Oh...well, hopefully she isn't angry with us..."

In his usual stoic tone Wol turned to face her, "It was stupid for her to ask to have a watermelon competition against two humans. She should have known she was going to lose no matter how hard she tried."

"but bless her little heart she did her best," Sarah replied, trying to make up for the warrior's stern tone. Not only did Echo lost the competition but she was beaten at the last possible moment by Sarah, and that seemed to make her mad the most.

After that loss the little fairy had gone off alone and had not been seen since. so in response to this both Wol and Sarah had gone to look for her but to no avail. Wol wasn't too worried as Echo couldn't be too far from him otherwise she would be having issues such as disappearing from the plane of existence.

The princess sighed in content, then she turned to the beached ship and thoughts of earlier in the day where the thought of having jumped from the ship and into the water made her heart beat a bit faster. Though it was no doubt dangerous to even try, the princess couldn't help but think that it would fun to try in the future.

"Hello princess, kupo!"

The two turned and saw a moogle flying towards them in a hurry.

"Oh, what is it little one?"

Wol's eyes were on the creature but he preferred to have the princess do the talking this time around.

The moogle seemed to be out of breath as he tried to speak, "Took forever to find you, kupo! Mr. Mog just wanted to thank you for enjoying your stay but it is time to go inside. Curfew is about to take effect, kupo."

The princess turned to Wol and then to the moogle, "Curfew?"

The moogle nodded, "The island is kind of dangerous at night due to the lack of lighting we have yet to put in place and so everyone is to return to their rooms at night."

Looking out at the setting sun and realizing that it was starting to get dark, Wol couldn't wait to get back inside and it was all for any reason he could think of. Echo being silly, the princess was looking beat, and he was tired of the sand, to name a few.

His pessimism would have gotten him a scolding so he kept it all to himself and began to walk back to the hotel.

"Curfew is in effect, Mister Mog, and all the guests are in the hotel, kupo."

The staff of the resort was finishing up their rounds, putting papers away and cleaning up the desks while making sure everything was ready for the following morning. There was even a moogle checking the weather forecast for the next seven days, making sure the weather was in optimal conditions for a tropical vacation.

Mister Mog was floating around with his entourage of smaller moogles getting updates from them. For one moogle to run a resort was indeed a daunting challenge Mog didn't show any signs of stress at the job. He had been running it for a very long time, and had yet to run into something that would drive him nuts. Save for Kupo Nuts, that is.

He checked off a request form another moogle had offered him and moved onto another pressing matter. "By the way, I heard that the rocks behind the waterfall are cracking, kupo."

The smaller moogle named Mooge nodded, "Yes sir, kupo! Seems the gradual disintegration of the water on the rocks is making it crack."

"Why hadn't I been notified of this before? This could pose a threat to our guests, kupo!"

"We only discovered it today, kupo! A few guests notified us of rocks falling in the lagoon and we inspected it later in the afternoon. We plan to block off a section of the lagoon as a precautionary measure to ensure the safety of everyone, kupo. After that we will begin working to make it stable again."

Mog sighed, "Well, least we found it before it crashed. Things could be a lot worse, kupo."

The two moogles then heard squeaking that gave them the impression that something was off. The moogle behind the large computer screen was going bonkers. So much so that his pom-pom looked like it would fly off any moment, "Mister Mog! We have a problem, kupo!"

Quickly the moogles all gathered around the desk but moved out of Mog's way when he approached, "What is it, kupo?" Going through his mind was all sorts of calamitous problems that could be the problem: ships discovering the island, an eidolon emerging from within the island, or even a swarm of vegetarian bugs that could eat the island's vegetation all went through his mind. However, none of those turned out to be the problem.

The smaller moogle brought a picture of a nasty looking storm heading towards the island, "It's terrible, kupo! Tropical storm fast approaching!"

The other moogles gave signs of panic but Mog remained steadfast.

"I see...and it doesn't look like it is going to miss us either, kupo..." There had been threats of tropical storms and hurricanes in the past but by multiple strokes of luck the resort had always been spared. This time the storm seemed to be heading right for it with no sign of diverting its path. What bothered Mog however was how fast the storm had formed; it was like it had come from out of nowhere.

"How long until it gets here, kupo?"

The moogle typed away at the keyboard and kept its eyes on the computer screen, "This time tomorrow night it will be at our doorstep, kupo. We should have visuals on it by sunrise though. We'll get the full force of it when it arrives, kupo!"

Another moogle approached the desk, "What should we do sir? We might have to lock down the island and keep everyone inside-"

Mog wasn't paying attention to anyone around him. Not out of panic or nervousness, the gears in his head were turning and protocols for such an event were beginning to be made in his mind.

He knew what needed to be done. "Nobody panic. I know what to do, kupo. It will take all night but we can do it, kupo."

Sarah followed Wol into their room, and right away she noticed that there was now a silver serving cart near the table in the center of the room. On it was a variety of food on silver plates, all of which looked appetizing, even though she didn't know what any of it was.

The idea of food had been lost on her for most of the day to be honest, but she had something else on her mind. Echo still hadn't shown up and she was beginning to get worried.

"We should ask the moogles if Echo has been by."

The warrior of light shook his head again, quite insistent that there was nothing to be worried about. "She'll be back when she wants to Sarah."

Sarah still had her doubts but was quiet.

Wol went up to the table and examined the plates, and he quickly noticed something.

Small amounts of food from the plates were gone, pulled off in tiny amounts. "Someone has beaten us to our dinner from the looks of it," he said, his observation on point.

"Um, yeah, that would be because of me."

Sarah gasped a little bit upon hearing Echo's voice. It didn't take her long to find where she was located. The little fairy was gorging herself on the bedside table with a teacup full of food next to her.

Running up to the table the princess' demeanor turned to one of happiness. "Echo! We were worried about you." She was feeling relieved that Echo had returned.

Wol kept his stoic exterior intact, though Sarah was quick to notice that he seemed a little relieved as well.

"I shouldn't have taken off like that on you two but..." she grumbled, and for a moment it sounded like her stomach had growled in place of her words. "Guess I'm more of a sore loser than I figured I was."

Sarah was quite to forgive her, "That's alright; it's just a game to me." She returned to the table and from there she noticed that Wol was gone. She would have asked aloud where he went but she saw a possible clue. On the table was a neat stack of white clothes with a piece of paper with the princess' name on it.

"What is this?"

Echo downed a bit of cake from her cup, "The moogles brought you some night clothes, a dress for you to wear to bed."

Sarah carefully pulled the dress from the stack and brought it to her body. From what she saw it was nothing different from what she wore back in her castle back in Palamecia. That is, except for one obvious difference.

"Is it just me or is this nearly see through?" She sounded appalled by the possibility of wearing such a garment. The top part of the gown, the part that covered her chest was thicker and thus hid everything that was under it but the bottom of it was more shear than the rest.

Echo snickered, knowing the answer full and well, and how Sarah had reacted had been right on point with what she predicted. "Pretty much."

Sarah sighed, "How could I possibly wear such a...I cannot even describe how I feel about this thing!"

"Oh that's just the tip of the iceberg princess," said the fairy, feeling like she was the director of a terrible rom-com. She had more terrible news in store. "Now you two have to share the bed. How is that going to work out for you?"

Sarah turned to the fairy and then her eyes wandered to the bed. Her first action would have been to faint but she held herself together long enough for Wol to come back out of the bathroom. He was wearing a black tank top and matching black sweatpants.

"What's wrong?" He was oblivious to the exasperated look on the princess' face.

The princess had a way around this, hiding her reddened face as best as she could and ran into the bathroom. She slammed the door behind her.

Wol turned to his fairy friend who was still snickering like a hyena.


	4. Storm

Turns out the moogle's prediction of the storms arrival to the island was off. Very off, as evidenced that it arrived on the shores at nearly four in the morning. It wasn't the thunder that woke up the guests, for Wol it had been the flashing of the lightning through the windows. He wasn't much of a sleeper to begin with and so a few bright flashes was enough to stir him from slumber.

He was sitting up in the bed, Sarah was next to him on her side facing away from him. He didn't know if she was asleep or not but just in case she was he didn't disturb her. He sat against the headboard, waiting for Echo to finish her report on the outside.

She flew to the warrior, sopping wet from just taking a gander outside. Turns out that was a big mistake. "You bozo! I ought to kill you for this..."

Wol wasn't fazed by her threat. He pushed it aside. "What's it like out there?"

The fairy shook her head, knowing she wouldn't get any further complaining. She spoke, "Well the moogles are going kupo nuts outside. The storm must have changed direction from the sounds of it 'cause they weren't expecting it to show up this early."

Wol turned towards the balcony doors, where he could hear the rain pounding into the glass. He had locked them and put the curtains out to try and at least keep the light show to a minimum. He only got so far with that, but at least he tried.

Sighing the warrior leaned back against the board, "Any word on how long it will last?"

"Nope. Just that we will most likely be confined to the main building until it passes."

'Just great...' thought Wol, and he turned to the princess. To his surprise he saw her move to lie on her back, her eyes fluttering open. No doubt she had heard the two talking and was now awake.

"Wol? Echo? What's going on?" She sat up and yawned. Against her original wishes the princess was wearing the night gown given to her by the moogles, shear fabric and all. It had taken nearly a half hour of convincing from Wol-not to mention teasing from a certain annoying fairy-for her to wear it. The straps were thin and loose and didn't stay on her shoulders, that was offset by how tight the dress was on her chest, much to her discomfort. Luckily Wol wasn't too interested in that, mostly because he didn't want to make her any more uncomfortable than she had been.

"We got a storm at our doorstep," said Wol. As if to put an exclamation point on his words the storm responded with a bright flash of lightning and a loud crackle of thunder.

Sarah snapped her head in the direction of the balcony doors, partially expecting them to fly open from the wind. "That is fierce..."

Echo found no humor in the situation. "No duh..."

Wol gave her a displeased look, and she covered her mouth. Her manners had left her, not that she cared to be honest.

"What will we do if it stays?" asked the princess, bringing the blankets to cover her chest.

Wol reached for his bedside table and turned on the lamp. Now that Sarah was awake there was no reason to be sitting in near total darkness. "The moogles will most likely keep us inside until it goes through the area."

Sarah's expression was one of disappointment. She liked the island so far and she had been eager to see the rest of it while she had the time. Looks like that would have to be put on hold for the time being. "Oh..." She moved the covers and got out of the bed and turned on her own bedside lamp, bringing more light to the room. There was no way she was going to be able to sleep with the storm raging outside so she decided to make the best of what she had.

Wol got off the bed as well, though he didn't go far, going to the small dining table in the center of the room. Breakfast wouldn't be served for a few more hours, but man was he hungry. He got an idea. "Echo, mind going down to the lobby to ask for room service?"

The fairy spun in the air, and she wasn't happy, "Hey! I'm not your errand girl, pal! You go do it."

To be honest Wol would have preferred to but he had to add a small detail. "The moogles won't let us out since its past curfew. You on the other hand can fit through the cracks in the doors. Besides, I don't think they know you're here so..."

Sighing Echo knew she wasn't going to win so she gave in. "Fine. As long as I call dibs on the cheesecake, got it?"

Kupo Nut Cheesecake was a new desert that had been offered at dinner earlier and Echo had gorged herself on it. She left out the nuts, of course, but she loved it nonetheless. Thus she used her love of the sweet as a bargaining tool It worked.

Wol accepted the term. "Deal."

Throwing her fist into the air in triumph, the fairy flew off once again towards the door and exited by going under it.

That left the warrior of light and his princess.

Sarah was by the balcony doors, peering past the curtains to the outside. She couldn't really see anything due to the wind and rain, and this made her slightly apprehensive. "I wonder how long it will last..."

Taking a deep breath Wol went on over to her. "You feeling okay?"

Sarah took one last look outside before she pulled the curtain back. A light rumble of thunder from over their heads came and went. "A storm doesn't worry me..."

"That's not what I meant."

"Huh?"

Going into territory that he would rather not if he had a better option, Wol took his first step. "I know that everything today has been new for you, and I am just saying I don't want to make you feel uncomfortable. Not intentionally anyway."

Sarah knew what he meant. The swimsuits, the seclusion on the island with him, right down to sharing the same bed with him. All of it was going into a realm she had never prepared herself for outside of a mental state, and even that failed her when she confronted it head on. She tried to work with it but there was no doubt it toyed with her feelings. Prophecy or not, she had feelings for the warrior and though he had been unsure of them himself, he reciprocated them to an extent.

"Wed the Warrior of Light, as the prophecy foretold," said the princess, her face turning a light shade of red. That part was always stuck in her mind. "I was always afraid of how you'd react to that part..."

"I would have said no." Wol was blunt. Blunt, but ever honest. "Arranged marriage never works out, especially when destiny and fate are involved."

Sarah nodded once, "Still...can I tell you a secret?"

The warrior crossed his arms over his chest, "I was kind of looking forward to a wedding, if you had said yes, that is."

Wol's eyebrow arched, "You did?"

"Prophecy or not, a girl always wonders how her wedding will be, even if it is nothing but a dream. More than once I dreamed of being in a beautifully elegant white dress, being led down an aisle, and my father giving me to my husband to be, and then..." she raised her left hand, where she imagined where a gold ring would be placed on her finger. "A vow of being together forever, followed by a kiss to seal the vow. I dream of that day a lot."

Her confession surprised Wol. Sarah was normally a girl who kept her feelings inside, most likely out of shyness especially when Wol or the prophecy was involved. To hear her speak so openly about her own feelings was quite a head turner.

She lowered her hand, "But if the world ends, what good would that dream be, am I right?"

Lowering his chin Wol was, for the first time in recent memory, unable to answer her. No quick wit, no sarcasm. Nothing.


	5. Decision

The storm ravaged the island, the rain rode the wind and slammed into the side of the resort like bullets. The glass window held but as he lay wide awake Wol couldn't help but be alert. His objective of being a bodyguard for Sarah was still kicking even in the dead of the night. The princess herself slept like nothing was going on, no doubt she felt protected enough with her guard in the same bed as her. Echo slept on Wol's bedside table, having found a fleece towel and a doll's pillow to sleep on. there was no room on the bed for her otherwise since Sarah tossed and turned more often than one would have thought possible.

Wol turned his head to the side and saw that Sarah was still right where she fell asleep, right next to him and her body right up against him. Though shy when in public the princess seemed to lower her guard when in intimate spaces as she was nearly on top of the Blank when she had trouble holding his hand.

He didn't mind, or at least as long as she kept affectionate words to herself. She had that awkwardness that made her attempts to sound lovingly to him be more embarrassing than she had intended. 'Bless her heart she tries at least.'

Wol wasn't oblivious to her growing feelings for him, even if they were born from a false prophecy. That and her admission of wanting a fancy wedding earlier made him start taking her dream seriously.

Slowly getting out of the bed, careful not to disturb either woman, the warrior walked across the room and stood in front of the balcony door. The rain outside was pouring down so hard that he couldn't see beyond the glass.

Sighing loudly Wol looked back at the sleeping princess with uncertainty. she had put her heart into believing the prophecy only to find out there was no real end to it. That would knock anyone's optimism down a peg or two, but it had floored Sarah's fragile defenses like a battering ram.

A rumble of thunder went across the island and while it shook the building Wol remained unnerved. His mind remained on Sarah.

For the first time in a long while the warrior couldn't help but feel something for the poor girl. She had dreams and while all he had was his duty to her he felt helpless to her. 'How can I help her achieve her dream when I am destined to fail whenever I try?'

Fate and Destiny were cruel mistresses, as Meia would probably say in this situation. The best option would be to let them have their way.

But Wol was stubborn and would not let anyone, or anything, push him around. a flash of lightning outside helped him realize his new objective.

He would help Sarah, whatever the cost. Destiny and Fate be damned.


End file.
